UN General Assembly recommended partition of British Mandatory territory of palestine in 1947 into Arab and Jewish states. Conflict ensued, first within palestine and then, after state of Israel proclaimed territorial supremacy in May 1948, with Arab states. War ended in unstable truce. Hundreds of thousands of palestinians became refugess as result of 1948 war, primarily in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and west bank and Gaza strip.
Between 1948-1967, Gaza strip was ruled by Egypt, while West Bank was annexed by Jordan in 1950. Israeli military victory in june 1967 war ( Six-Day War ) resulted in to occupation of west Bank, Gaza Strip, Syrian Golan Heights, Egyptian Sinai Peninsula ans Israeli annexation of East jerusalem. UN Security Council resolution 242 ( 1967 ) laid basis for " Land of Peace" formula.
Palestine Liberation Organization was founded by Arab League 1964. After 1967 it was controlled by palestinian guerilla organizations. Yasser Arafat, founder and leader of Palestinian National Liberation Movement ( Fatah ) led PLO Executive Committee from 1969 until his death in 2004. Egypt and Syria launched 1973 October War. Initial successes subsequently reversed, but broke political stalemate in Middle East. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat initiated peace process with visit to jerusalem in 1977, resulting in U.S - sponsored Camp David accords 1978, and 1979 peace treaty leading to Israeli withdrawl from occupied Sinai in 1982.
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 to expel PLO, counter Syrian Influence, strenghten Israeli's northern border, and establish pro-Israeli Lebanese government. PLO was forced to disperse to other Arab countries. Isreali troops remained in southern lebanon until unilateral withdrwal in 2000 after years of warfare with lebanese shiite Hezbollah movement.
Amid escalating settlement drive in West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian uprising ( Intifada ) against Israeli occupation took place ( 1987 - 1993 ). Framework for negotiations between Israel and Arabs was established after 1991 Gulf War and led to unprecedented 1991 Madrid Middle East Peace Conference Palestinian track ws subsequently overtaken by secret Oslo negotiations and signing of Israeli Palestinian Declaration of Principles ( "Oslo Accords") at White House in September 1993. Labor party PM Yitzhak Rabin, Forign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat were awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.
Rabin was assasinated by Israeli extremists in November 1995. Likud party's Benjamin Netanyahu defeated Rabin's successor Shimon Peres in 1996. Oslo slowly began to unravel. Final status negotiations began after Netanyahu replaced by Labor's Ehud Barak in 1999elections but process ultimately broke down amid mutual recriminations after failed July 2000 Camp David summit sponsored by U.S president Clinton. New Palestinian uprising - dubbed as Al-Aqsa intifada - began in september 2000.
Ariel sharon was elected Israeli PM in 2001 and reelected in 2003. Israeli armored incursions in palestinian cities and palestinian suicide bombings in Israel produced unprecedented casuality levels on both sides. Attempts to revive peace process failed to produce necessary breakthrough. Amid escalating conflict Israel reoccupied West Bank cities in April 2002 and began construction of seaparation barrier largely within occupied west bank and enclosing East jerusalem. Barrier was condemned as Illegal by International Court of Justice in July 2004.
Sharon led Israeli " Unilateral Disengagement " from Gaza Strip in August 2005, including dismantlement of all Gaza settlements.Isael retained control over airspace, territorial waters, and all boundaries except border with Egypt, where flow of persons supervised by EU border assistance mission.
2005-06 brought seismic shifts in Israel and Palestinian politics with formation of new kadima party by Ariel Sharon, latter's removal from scene after massive stroke in January 2006 and Victory of Islamist group Hamas in palestinian parliamentary elections. Acting PM Ehud Olmert led kadima to narrow victory in March elections. Olmert proclaimed continuation of unilateral approach, rejecting negotiations with palestinians, setting "Permanent" eastern borders by 2010 and seeking international endorsement for this. Hamas refusal to recognise Israel, renounce violence and endorse existing agreements led donors to suspend aid as Palestine faced continued operational challenges and potential collapse.
By May 2006, mounting violence in Gaza, fuelled by power struggle between Fatah and Hamas Loyalists, raised fears of civil war.Israel arrested almost all Hamas cabinet members and Parliamentaries in west bank. South lebanon based Hizbollah launched cross-border raid on Israel in july 2006, capturing 2 and killing 8 soldiers. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 led to ceasefire and deployement of strengthened UN force to southern lebanon. The Annapolis conference also called as " Middle East Eace Conference" was, held in November, 2007 at United States. During conference for the first time, two states solution was articulated, as they mutually agreed upon outline for addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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